After Robert Bergdahl celebrated the release of his son Bowe in a White House
appearance next to Barack Obama, some are suspicious about his invocation of
Allah and his past comments criticising US foreign policy

President Barack Obama speaks during an appearance in the Rose Garden of the White House, accompanied by Bowe Bergdahl's parents Bob and Jani Bergdahl Photo: Mandel Ngan/ Getty

By Philip Sherwell, New York

9:43PM BST 02 Jun 2014

For Barack Obama, it must have seemed like a politically safe photo opportunity. His administration had just secured the release of America’s only known prisoner of war after years of negotiations and now he had invited the soldier’s parents to join him on the steps of the White House to proclaim the deal.

The images from the Rose Garden of a smiling president placing his arms supportively around Robert and Jani Bergdahl, whose son Bowe was freed in return for the release of five Taliban leaders in Guantanamo Bay, were broadcast around the world.

But past comments by Mr Bergdahl condemning US foreign policy - not to mention his bushy Islamic-looking beard, his command of Pashtu and Arabic and his use of an Islamic greeting while standing next to Mr Obama - have now been seized on by conservative critics of the president.

There was outrage on some social media sites at what appeared to have been a message that the soldier’s father issued via Twitter, which has since been removed from his account on the micro-blogging site.

“God will repay the death of every Afghan child, ameen!” the message read, using the Islamic equivalent of Amen. In the same message, he repeated his view that all Guantanamo Bay detainees should be released.

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (AP)

Fuelling the concerns about Mr Bergdahl’s connections, the Twitter message appears to have been a response to a tweet by a Taliban spokesman.

Some senior administration officials were said to be “baffled” that aides allowed the president to appear alongside Mr Bergdahl, given his history of controversial statements. They also reportedly were not aware what he would say or that he planned to speak in Pashtu and Arabic as well as English.

Mr Bergdahl’s appearance and statement at the White House quickly became fodder for critics of the deal to free the Taliban leaders in return for the release of his son after five years in captivity.

Mr Bergdahl spoke in the Afghan language of Pashtu in comments aimed at his son who reportedly is struggling to remember English. And in Arabic, he also used a standard Islamic phrase meaning “In the name of Allah, the most merciful” as he thanked those involved in reaching the deal.

He had learned some Pashtu and Arabic to make a video appeal directly to the Taliban for his son’s freedom. He also said that he grew a beard as a personal memorial to his son’s plight, although he has not so far shaved to celebrate his release.

His appearance and language in the Rose Garden, deploying what some Right-wing websites denounced as an “Islamic victory cry”, were immediately seized upon by critics and fuelled speculation that he had converted to Islam.

However locals in their home-town of Hailey, Idaho, said the couple were still regular church-goers who had home-schooled their children and made sure they attended Sunday services.

Barack Obama walks back to the Oval Office with Jani and Bob Bergdahl, after making a statement regarding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl release from captivity (John Harrington/ EPA)

Comments directed by Mr Bergdahl at his son during a press conference in Idaho after his return from Washington also prompted questions. “Most of all, I’m proud of how much you wanted to help the Afghan people. And what you were willing to do to go to that length.” Without elaboration, he added: “And I think you have succeeded.” In emails to his parents before he disappeared in 2009, Sgt Bergdahl indicated that he was considering desertion and denounced US operations in Afghanistan, writing in one: “The horror that is America is disgusting”.

But the Pentagon has previously dismissed as Taliban propaganda claims that Sgt Bergdahl converted to Islam in captivity and was teaching bomb-making techniques to the insurgents.